CH56
As Peter and I step away from Marina's lab, my mind is spinning. I’ve just learned my grandmother might be a mermaid—Anthozoa—and everything I thought I knew about myself is unraveling. It feels like the ground beneath me is slipping away, and I don’t know how to grab hold of anything solid.
Peter, walking beside me, glances over, his face full of concern. “So, what’s next now that you might be…part mermaid?”
I let out a breath, feeling utterly lost. “I don’t know, Peter,” I say, shaking my head. “I don’t even know who I am anymore. I guess all I can do is what I’ve been trying to do this entire time—get some fucking answers.”
Peter raises a brow. “Time to gear up for a swim, then?”
I give him a weak smile, appreciating his attempt to keep things light. “Sounds like a plan.”
It’s late by the time we sneak back into the Marble. The facility is eerily quiet, the hum of the machinery the only sound filling the corridors. Peter helps me suit up, fitting the diving gear snugly around me. The air is tense between us, both of us knowing that, no matter what comes next, this is going to be a turning point. All this time, we've been building to something, and now I can't go any further without knowing what.
If, that is, Wake will even agree to see me after the way I spoke to him. I prepare myself to do some groveling, which I'm sure he'll enjoy well enough, but I only have myself to blame. I took my frustration and fear out of Wake when I had no right to.
As I adjust the straps of my oxygen tank, Peter pulls out a large bin of chum, the scent of raw fish instantly filling the air.
“What the hell is that for?” I ask, wrinkling my nose.
Peter grins, though it’s more a grimace. “This,” he says, hefting the bin, “is to keep the local wildlife occupied. I’ll toss it away from where you’ll be swimming. We’re not about to have a Jaws rerun tonight.”
I let out a nervous laugh, though the tension in my chest doesn’t fade. “Thanks. That’s…comforting.”
Peter looks at me, his expression softening. “Hey,” he says, stepping closer, “you’ve got this. I’ll keep an eye on everything from up here. And if anything goes wrong, I’ll be ready.”
I nod, feeling the weight of his support. I pull him into a quick hug, catching him off guard. “Thank you, Peter. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”
He grins when we pull apart. “Don’t mention it. I’m just as invested in cracking this nut as you are now. Well, maybe not as invested—since, you know, I’m not at risk of sprouting a tail or anything.”
I laugh, but his words linger in my mind, the weight of them sinking deeper than I care to admit. Could I actually… change? Would I even recognize myself if I did?
With a deep breath, I dive into the water, my body cutting through the surface with ease. The moment I’m fully submerged, the noise of the world above fades into a distant hum, replaced by the rhythmic pulse of the sea around me. It’s… peaceful, in a way. Calming. And terrifying.
I swim toward the cave where I spent that single, charged day with Wake, the dim glow of underwater lights from the Marble fading into darkness as I go deeper. When I reach the cave’s entrance, I surface and pull off my mask, taking a deep breath of the thin, salty air as I pull myself onto the narrow, rocky shore.
And then I wait.
Minutes pass, and then an hour. I know that I'm not alone. He's down there in the dark, past where my mortal eyes can penetrate. Watching. Waiting for me to set the tone.
I take a deep breath, despite stale oxygen. I need to do this. “Wake,” I say, my voice shaky, “I’m sorry. I was quick to think the worst of you before. I…I’m scared. Of you…and of myself.”
After a beat of silence, the surface breaks as Wake rises from the black pool before me. Restrained irritation sparks in his obsidian eyes.
Wake's eyes narrow, his voice low and steady. “If you are afraid of me, then I have failed as your mate.”
His words hit me harder than I expected, and I swallow the lump forming in my throat. “You didn't. I…I just want to understand,” I whisper, my voice trembling. “What does it mean to be your mate? Why me? I think I’m ready to hear you now.”
Wake’s gaze softens, and he swims closer, his massive form filling the cave. He stops at the edge of the shelf I'm on, unwilling to breach the divide this time. There is no fooling myself that his legs mean humanity. He is something other, and whether or not we can meet in the middle is ultimately up to me.
That fact was something I shied away from, that fear to commit, the lazy indulgence of expecting Wake to comprehend things the way I do. It's no wonder he doesn't trust me, I've yet to give him a reason to. Until now.
“In my world, our gods rule the seas. Each sea is governed by a great siren clan, and each clan is given the power of dominion by their deity,” he says slowly, deliberately, as if gauging my reaction to every word, looking for a reason to stop. “The bond between mates is one of the rarest and most sacred of pacts between a clan and their deity. It is more than just a connection of souls. It is destiny, a bond chosen by the gods themselves. Once it is forged, it cannot be broken.”
Destiny. A will beyond your own determining the most intimate parts of your life. It all sounds so final, so absolute. The lack of control terrified me. But as he speaks, I can feel that pull between us—the undeniable connection that has been there from the start.
He pauses, his expression guarded. There’s something he’s not telling me, something he’s holding back.
“Why is it so important for you to find your mate?” I ask softly. “You haven’t told me that part yet.”
Wake’s jaw clenches, his eyes flickering with something I can’t quite read. But he doesn’t answer. Not yet.
Yesterday, I would have pushed and he would have pulled away. Today, I choose another path.
Instead, I take a deep breath and lean forward, closing the space between us. “Thank you,” I whisper, brushing my lips against his in a soft kiss.
The moment our lips meet, everything else fades away. The water, the fear, the uncertainty. It’s just us—just this moment. His hand cups the back of my head, deepening the kiss, and I can feel the raw intensity of his emotions bleeding into me through the bond.
And this time, I don’t rub away from the intensity. I let myself fall into the feeling, into him. Into whatever future we have together—whatever that means.
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